National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

The National Student Clearinghouse® Research Center publishes relevant, objective data on postsecondary metrics to serve the community. With the majority of institutions in the United States providing data to the Clearinghouse, the research center’s publications guide policymakers and business leaders to make the best decisions for higher education.

Publication Series

Transfer and Progress

A report series on undergraduate transfer enrollment and pathways and the mobility and progress of pandemic-impacted community college starters.

Last Published February 28, 2024

+7.7%

Increase in upward transfers from a year ago (as of 11/19/2023)

Current Term Enrollment Estimates

Latest enrollment estimates for the fall of 2023 nationally and by state, reported on by institution types, student groups, and major fields.

Last Published January 24, 2024

193,000

Increase in postsecondary enrollment, both undergraduate and graduate, from a year ago

Postsecondary Data Partnership Insights

The PDP Insights report focuses on students’ first-year credit completion ratio (CCR) and credit accumulation rate (CAR). These early momentum measures can offer insights into students’ progression toward degree completion and provide indicators of when and where gaps in ultimate degree attainment between groups may begin.

Published January 16, 2024

73%

Credits earned, on average, out of all attempted among first-year students in 2021-22

Completing College

Provides a comprehensive overview of postsecondary completion trends nationally and by state. For all students who enter postsecondary education for the first time each year, it examines the diverse pathways the student traversed toward completion, as well as a degree or certificate completion rate within six and eight years of enrolling.

Last Published November 30, 2023

62.2%

The national 6-year college completion rate, counting all students at all institutions

College Closures and Student Outcomes

Building on a three-report series offering a national view of how students are affected by college closures, an interactive dashboard provides additional data insights on characteristics of closed institutions that lead to more positive student outcomes and reenrollment rates of students who became part of the Some College No Credential (SCNC) population following closure.

Published November 2, 2023

47%

Reenrollment rate following a campus closure

Stay Informed with the Latest Enrollment Information – Fall 2023

This report series continues to enable educational and policy leaders to make informed decisions through timely enrollment trend reporting that began with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last Published October 26, 2023

2%

Increase in postsecondary enrollment from a year earlier (as of 9/28/2023)

High School Benchmarks

Provides the most current data on high school graduates’ postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion outcomes.

Last Published September 19, 2023

52.4%

Immediate college-going rate for low income high school graduates, a 2.7 percentage point increase from the previous year

Persistence and Retention

This report series helps institutions understand first-year college persistence and retention patterns and identify disparities between different students, institutions, or states in this important early success indicator.

Last Published July 27, 2023

75.7%

First-year persistence rate for fall 2021 starters, up 0.9 percentage points over the previous cohort

Some College, No Credential

This report series seeks to understand the educational trajectories of millions of U.S. adults who left postsecondary education without receiving a credential and are no longer enrolled.

Last Published April 25, 2023

40.4M

Some College, No Credential population as of July 2021, up 1.4M from previous year

Yearly Success and Progress Rates

Year-by-year rates of persistence, transfer, completion, and stop-out can help states and institutions better identify effective intervention points to increase student success.

Last Published April 4, 2023

30%

Part-time beginning students no longer enrolled anywhere two years later

Undergraduate Degree Earners

Insights into undergraduate credential earners in the 2021-22 academic year by demographic and educational profiles.

Last Published March 16, 2023

-1.6%

Decline in college graduates from a year ago

Tracking Transfer

Latest six-year baccalaureate degree completion rate for transfer students from two- to four-year institutions is reported for the 2015 cohort of first-time degree-seeking students, analyzed by student SES and institutional characteristics.

Last Published September 20, 2022

See Transfer and Progress

16%

Community college beginners earning a BA in six years, an increase of 1 percentage point over last year

COVID-19: Transfer, Mobility, and Progress

Recognizing the urgency of COVID-19’s impact on students and institutions, these reports disseminate rapid response information to identify trends and raise areas of concern early enough for education and policy leaders to take corrective actions quickly.

Last Published September 13, 2022

See Transfer and Progress

296,200

Total two-year loss of transfer students during pandemic

Upcoming Publications

APRIL 2024

Undergraduate Degree Earners

MAY 2024

Spring Current Term Enrollment Estimates

JUNE 2024

Some College, No Credential

Current Initiatives

Postsecondary Data Partnership

Postsecondary Data Partnership

The Postsecondary Data Partnership is a nationwide initiative to help colleges and universities more efficiently gain a fuller picture of student progress and outcomes, meet various reporting requirements, and focus more of their resources on using data to help students.

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